Mary Reed: God, Jesus, and Buddha

Mary Reed is an “accidental” mystic who, following eleven years of profound, involuntary visions and insights into divine realms, surrendered her executive life in Washington, DC to explore her spiritual gifts in a remote Buddhist nunnery in India. She grew up without any interest in religion but with an innate knowing that humans had more ability to access greater wisdom than most seemed to realize.

She is originally from the U.S. Southwest but spent most of her career directing global healthcare programs and creating nonprofit partnerships throughout America and Africa. Today she divides her time between Thosamling Nunnery in India, where she is often immersed in silence; Cambodia, where she works with Wide Open Wings (a small charity she co-founded); and traveling to speak with a variety of audiences to share her story as a way to illuminate the common ground of Love and precious Divinity in all of us, and to inspire joyful collective resurrection and remembrance with her unique view of our beautifully awakening world.

“Individually and collectively, the whole point is that is we are seeking to be all that we are. And all that we are is love and goodness. So the exploration of what all is possible in that state is exactly what we’re doing. And so there’s not really an end goal, but our purpose is to feel the wholeness of what we are, of all that we are, and that’s infinite possibilities. So what we are doing is exploring that. What we’re progressing towards now is ways of exploring that in a way that’s not a dualistic, conflict-based exploration. And that’s where we are coming out of. We’re not coming into we’re going to be whole suddenly. It’s that we’re going to continue experiencing the possibilities of that in a way that is much gentler; it’s not suffering based. That’s where we are going.”

— Mary Reed, 43:20 – 44:24

…

“I would have to say that the name of the game of spiritual evolution, enlightenment and all that stuff is learning how to integrate unboundedness with boundaries.”

— Rick Archer, 52:58 – 53:10

…

“I think we are going to rethink the value of the one-line teachings that people really rely on and see the benefit of a more inclusive way of talking about spirituality, religion, etc. By that I mean… There’s a lot of spiritual teachings in my very short little time here that I have watched. For example, the idea of karma. The idea of saying that our world is an illusion. The law of attraction. This idea that suffering is intended to be here to make us stronger. That we are intentionally conflict based. All of these sorts of things. There are ways that we recognize in a more enlightened perspective that these kind of hold us back and they’re a little bit a of cop out in some places.

“For example, I live in India and karma is often talked about… For example, most notably, the untouchables here — the cast that nobody has anything to do about. There’s a blowing off of the need for compassion for that group because it’s just their karma. There’s also this idea that people can play now and pay later with karma. You know, I’ll do what I know I shouldn’t do now and I’ll just pay the consequences in the next life. I hear these things here.

“So there’s a watering down of the initial intention. So I think that as the law of attraction… we look at a lot of people and think well if they would just think more positive thoughts this wouldn’t be happening. I’m especially troubled by the idea that this teaching about the world just being an illusion. That really dismisses our call for compassion to people that are really suffering.

“I often think about my own spirituality, my sort of check on things. I’ve worked very hardship places. I’ve worked in really, really destitute townships in South Africa. I see it all around here. I also work in Southeast Asia. And I think about seeing a room in which there is a nine-year-old girl who has been sold into sex slavery. She lives in a room with a padlock on it. Her mother has sold her into slavery because she needed the money and her clients are soldiers. So I think about the application of spirituality. If you’re standing in the doorway with that nine-year-old girl on one side and the mother and the soldiers lined up on the other side. What is the spiritual practice, or spiritual philosophy that honors all that’s happening in this moment? I can’t turn to a nine-year-old and say ‘If you just think more positively’ or ‘this is a karmic thing’ or ‘this is all an illusion’ or ‘this is just awareness’ — there’s real cop out, in my own opinion, with that kind of stuff. It’s a dismissal of real true suffering that goes on that I’ve seen and I know is around. I personally can’t let go of that level of deep desire to end suffering for all beings with such narrow-minded philosophies.

“I know that the intentions of those philosophies is not narrow-minded, but we in the normal societies tend to take that and kind of cop out with it. So I hope that what evolves and what I see more and more, is a more inclusive way of talking about the application of spirituality and the principles of things. That’s not to say that they don’t have value. I think they have enormous value. And I think they have enormous validity. But I think we’re going to get out of using these as excuses for not digging deeper.”

— Mary Reed, 01:12:58 – 01:17:33

…

“There is a way that our own internal work, especially on our fears and judgements, have a massive impact on the collective, in particularly now when we’re in this really great stage of momentum in our world. Let me give you an example. And I’m going to speak now on an energy perspective.

“Let’s say that you and I have a conflict… I’ve done something terrible to you and I’m mad at you and you’re mad at me and we have these energies of anger and blame and frustration. What that looks like on an energy level — it looks exactly like a thread… And it’s a thread that gets really tangled up between us. It doesn’t matter that you’re there and I’m here — energetically, in the field of awareness, that’s what it looks like — it looks like a thread that we just wind up around us and get it all tangled up.

“And then as I’m in my world and I’m telling people about how awful you’ve been in this situation, and I can’t believe you’ve done this and this and this, I’m winding that same thread around these other people. And your on your end talking about it with people so you’re doing it too; you’re wrapping that thread around. So as we move around, and we move around in our lives, we bask in the energies of blame, victimhood, and all these different things, we’re all just tangled up in this massive tangle of conflict energy.

“And planetarily, this is what we have looked like. We are all in this massive entanglement, energetically, and we’re bound down — literally — it looks like we’re bound down and held still without being able to have a greater frequency or flow.

“And so in this situation of conflict… if I really, earnestly, take the time to go in and reevaluate my own role in this, my own part, my own responsibility, my own feeling, and I own everything that I feel, I finally get to the place of forgiveness. And that is not forgiveness of you because that would be a judgement right there that you have done something wrong. Forgiveness is always, only for me — for the way that I’ve seen things, or the things I’ve done. When I get to that place of authentic forgiveness for me, what happens energetically is that thread that has been completely wound around me just opens up and begins to fall away; it begins to flow because I have transmuted by own fear and judgement to compassion, and understanding, and love. And this is what’s happening on my end — that thread just begins to fall away. And as it begins to fall away for me, it necessarily begins to fall away for you. You no longer have that push and pull on my end. The same things begins to happen with the people around me and the people around you. All because I did my own work.

“And planetarily, this is also now what’s happening with us… The flow is beginning to open up on a massive scale because more and more and more of us are interested in this introspection, and getting into that this place of really authentically transmuting our behaviors and reactions and these habitual things that we’ve manufactured long ago and we’ve begun to let them go, we’ve begun to open it up. So now, all around the planet, we are having these threads open up, and now we begin to vibrate at a higher frequency, we begin to flow more readily and easily between us, and really sensitive people can actually feel that.”

I look down, hesitate, and with some confusion say, “My feet… are nailed to a board.”

I become aware now that I am in Jesus at his moment of physical death. My feet are nailed to a long piece of thick wood. With my arms outstretched, my hands are nailed to a shorter piece of wood. My head is heavy and bobs in surrender to the weight. This cross upon which my body hangs is being dragged sideways along a dirt path leading into a courtyard. The path and courtyard are crowded with loud, highly emotional people.

In this body / mind / spirit I know everything that has happened in the evolution of Man over untold millennia in the past, and I see in great detail all that led to this moment. My death is not the result of a betrayal by a disciple or the ploys of a few people in power who feel threatened by my presence. It is instead caused by a mindset that took ages to cultivate, perpetuate and entrench. In the absence of widespread connection to the flow of God’s Love, it is a mindset of conflict and fear that has thrived in the moralizing, domineering egos ruling politics and religion and in the subservient masses at their mercy.

I am filled with immense sadness that so many people will suffer and feel sorrowful because of my death, and my deepest concern and compassion is for those whose actions bring about the events of today. I look out at the emotional crowd and say to myself, “These people do not need to feel sorrowful. They just do not know.”

I take my last breath now and feel my spirit pulled up through my chest as though it is being powerfully sucked out. I break free from physical constraints and hover horizontally in spirit form over the shell of my body. No one knows I am still here.

Now in fine, intimate detail I know the emotions present in the heart of every person in the crowd as though they are my own. I know who is filled with shock, who is filled with anger, terror, guilt, rage, grief, sadness, and so on. The vibrations of their grief and guilt are magnificently strong. In every heart, regardless of any other emotions of the moment, there is sorrow. I see this sorrow like a thread stretching from long before this day up through the hearts of all these people and far into the future, all the way into the hearts of current-day humans. The source of this sorrow is the separation from God’s Love. Today will allow this sorrow to continue.

I say, “I need to ease these people’s sorrows. I never did.” And then I say, “This was to have been the point of reconciliation.”

In a flurry of activity, I now see what happens in the future. I see quick and vast exploitations of my death. I watch bishops and cardinals and kings scrambling to carve out dominions in my name century after century. I watch countless genuinely well-intentioned people swallowed up in the very same mindset that caused my death, dutifully using my death as instructed by others to further perpetuate separation and conflict with the wedges of guilt, judgment and sin. I see death and more death throughout the centuries in passionate defense of misconstrued understandings of my teachings.

The next thing I am aware of is myself still as Jesus standing in front of a large golden Bible, which I realize is the same book that appeared to me earlier. I am wearing a white robe made of thick material and my arms are outstretched with palms up. In front of me are people from the crowd who witnessed my death. They are all looking at me expectantly.

“They’re listening to me,” I say. “They are all listening to me. I need to articulate the reasons, the understanding… you don’t have them all, and that is what I need to give them. That’s what they are waiting for. That is all they need.”

I, as Mary, understand that in my current human form I am not able to give the people what they need yet because in this lifetime I have not yet gotten to a place of perfect love and wisdom. I distinctly feel energy move between my stomach, heart and throat, and say with a slight force as though another being is speaking instructively through me, “The information is yet to come. It is not at this time and place; it is from that place (meaning the Divine world) that I need to give it. It is a completely different place, and it does not come from the shell of these people — of no person.”

I feel the energy move inside me again and I clearly see that discovering the information that is yet to come is a journey unto itself and that this journey is to be understood and shared with others. I am also to understand “that place” and bring it together with this earthly world to help everyone understand en masse.

I breathe in deeply and let out a long sigh. “This is enough for today,” I say with a tone of finality, and begin to blink.

I have been with? in? as? Jesus for more than three hours and am extremely tired. As I become aware of my body and my surroundings, the solemn emotional remnants of this experience feel like heavy gel draped over my bones, pressing me against the table. I momentarily try to discern whether I am cozy or numb. Before I can make that discernment countless questions flood my mind on a wave of exhilaration. I close my eyes again and take a deep breath. All I want to do is go to sleep and either return to where I just came from or not wake up until I can understand what just happened.

…

From Chapter 25:

I become aware of myself as Jesus standing on a hillside and looking outward. I realize the location is the Mount of Beatitudes.

To my right are people who had earlier gathered to listen to my talk. They are leaving and I know in this moment as I stand here that these people have not taken in my words to live for themselves. Instead, they have revered me for having said the words. In doing so, they will rely on me for their wisdom rather than fully understanding and embodying the wisdom for themselves.

In this way, I, Christ, have not become a part of them; I am set apart from them. I, Christ, was in the WORDS I spoke, but because of others’ reverence for me and lack of belief in their own divinity they have not embodied me. Therefore I, Christ, cannot be known in the hearts of these people.

…

From Chapter 27:

Forgiveness of others and ourselves is the most important act of love we can ever do. It is the key to healing old sorrows.

…

From Chapter 40:

We live in a world ruled by the thought of conflict, and that keeps us from the reality that is ruled by the truth of Love.

But today I can see that the eons of time we have spent thinking in terms of conflict have also allowed us the time to finally begin remembering our way back to our joyful intentions. I know without question I am here in this human form writing these words now because I remember. And I am realizing that I am not alone.

I look at the entire planet today and see more people slowly waking up, turning to peaceful options and getting closer to remembering. I see more individuals thinking about what feels spiritually right to them and finding the will to go in that direction. I see prejudices tilting toward equality in small and enormously significant ways. I see courageous youth rising up not from a desire for power but from a desire for equality. I see media teaching people over and over and over again how bad the barrage of conflict feels, and I see we are slowly, slowly learning that lesson. I see an entire globe filling up with young, confident, hopeful energy that says of course conflict is not helpful, and they are talking about it with each other on social networks in every corner of the globe.

And I see young Akiane Kramarik painting Tomorrow because she too knows our time of remembering is at hand.

More and more, I can see we are thinking differently as a world. We are thinking more lovingly, more peacefully, more inclusively, more joyfully despite being shouted at incessantly by the media and religious and political leaders telling us the world is going to hell in a hand basket and it is all a sure sign of Armageddon.

Today I know change is coming and it is not the conflict-centered, fear-driven story of Armageddon. It is love like we have never dared to imagine. I see this love with absolute certainty: it is coming. In fact, it is arriving more and more every day. It is arriving in me and in Akiane and in people everywhere. And on some level we all want to wake up and welcome it.

Categories

Quotes

"Unlike spiritual paths that arose from the ideas and inner experiences of lone, isolated human beings, the path presented by near-death experiences is emerging as a direct, grassroots revelation that millions of people from all over the world are receiving and sharing. If we explore this newly emerging path deeply enough, we discover that all religions, philosophies, and cultures are honored; that science and spirituality are celebrated; that both the human and spiritual side of our natures are cherished and embraced. In short, near-death experiences present us with a universal, all-inclusive, perfectly integrated spiritual path that revolves around three core truths: 1. We are all one; 2. Love is the essence of life; 3. We are here, in this world, to become perfect embodiments of the Divine." -- David Sunfellow

“Merely learning about the near-death experience has effects similar to those reported by NDErs.” -- Kenneth Ring,
from "Lessons from the Light"

“For me personally, I’m showing more love to others now than before I started my near-death-experience studies. My understanding of near-death experiences has made me a better doctor. I face life with more courage and confidence. I believe NDErs really do bring back a piece of the afterlife. When NDErs share their remarkable experiences, I believe a piece of the afterlife, in some mysterious way, becomes available to us all.” -- Jeffrey Long, "Evidence of the Afterlife"

"I'm not asking you to believe anything. I'm simply telling you what I believe. And I have no idea what the next life will be like. Whatever I saw was only from the doorway, so to speak. But it was enough to convince me totally of two things from that moment on: One, that our consciousness does not cease with physical death; that it becomes, in fact, keener and more aware than ever. And secondly, that how we spend our time on earth, the kind of relationships we build, is vastly more important than we can know." -- George G. Ritchie, M.D., summarizing his famous near-death experience which helped launch the near-death experience movement. From his book, "Return From Tomorrow"

"Many events in my life I experienced, but not from how I remembered it, but from the point of view... [of] how the people, animals, environment experienced it around me. I felt it as my own. The times I had made others happy, and sad, I felt it all as they did. It was very apparent that every single thought, word, and action affects everything around us and indeed the entire universe. Trees, plants, animals too. I have been a long-term vegetarian since about 18 years old and I know this was appreciated and is a good choice in life. Spiritually it seemed to show proof of respect for all life, and even seemed to balance some of the negative and wicked things I have done in my life. In the life review we judge ourselves; no one else does. The light/god did not. But with no ego left -- and no lies -- we can't hide from what we have done and feel remorse and shame, especially in the presence of this love and light. Some of the things in life we think of as important don't seem to be so important there. But some of the insignificant things from the material human perspective are very important spiritually." -- Justin U describing his near-death experience on the NDERF website

"I have never interviewed anyone who had a near-death experience who told me that they came back to make more money or to spend more time at their jobs away from their families... Instead, they become convinced that they need to be more loving and kind. They react to their experience by living life to its fullest. They believe their lives have a purpose, even if that purpose is obscure to them. Invariably it involves concepts such as love of family or service to others. They seem to know that the love they create while living will be reflected and radiated back to them when they die." -- Melvin Morse, M.D., from his book, Parting Visions

“I went into this tunnel, and I came into this room that was just beautiful. God held me, He called me by name, and He told me, ‘Mary Jo, you can’t stay.’ And I wanted to stay. I protested. I said, ‘I can’t stay? Why not?’ And I started talking about all the reasons; I was a good wife, I was a good mother, I did 24-hour care with cancer patients. And He said, ‘Let me ask you one thing -- have you ever loved another the way you’ve been loved here?’ And I said, ‘No, it’s impossible. I’m a human.’ And then He just held me and said, ‘You can do better.’ ” -- Mary Jo Rapini, describing her near-death experience

"I asked them if there were other worlds. And they said, yes, the universe is full of other worlds -- and there are other dimensions of other physical universes and those are full of other worlds." -- Howard Storm describing his NDE in "My Descent Into Death"

"The Light kept changing into different figures, like Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, mandalas, archetypal images and signs. I asked the Light, “What is going on here? Please, Light, clarify yourself for me... The Light responded. The information transferred to me was that during your life after death experience your beliefs shape the kind of feedback you are getting before the Light. If you were a Buddhist or Catholic or Fundamentalist, you get a feedback loop of your own stuff. You have a chance to look at it and examine it, but most people do not. As the Light revealed itself to me, I became aware that what I was really seeing was our higher Self matrix." -- Mellen-Thomas Benedict

"God gave everything to us, everything is here -- this is where it's at. And what we are into now is God's exploration of God through us. People are so busy trying to become God that they ought to realize that we are already God and God is becoming us. That's what it is really about. When I realized this, I was finished with the void, and wanted to return to this creation..." -- Mellen-Thomas Benedict

“In one of my visits with the Light I was told that the near-death experience... would become more and more popular and it would have an affect on the entire world when a critical mass was hit and all these people have died and come back and are telling you that there is a lot more going on than we think." -- Mellen-Thomas Benedict